—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. July 23. 1977
16
Taming the heat wave
Man and beast alike are presently engaged in a battle
with the weather conditions which have produced one of
the most extreme beat waves in many years. Since any
successful attempt in altering the weather does not look
fruitful at the present time, attention has been turned to
ways of making the heat a little less unbearable. I will try
to make my contribution towards changing the weather
by providing a column on heat and its related problems,
then we will surely have a cool wave which will last the
rest of the Summer.
Heat stroke is a disorder of the heat regulating
mechanism which is a result of environmental high
temperatures. Sunstroke is an acute form of heat stroke
characterized by sudden onset, high temperature, and
high mortality. Heat exhaustion is a mild form of heat
stroke and is characterized by'a gradual onset,
depression, normal temperature, and low mortality.
To understand the causes of heat stroke it is necessary
to know in a general way, how heat is produced and
removed in the animals body. Body temperature is in*
creased by many factors, but most importantly by
muscular activity, disease, and adverse environmental
conditions. Heat is lost primarily by conduction to the
body surface and radiation into the surrounding air, and
water vaporization* from the body surface. Any increase of
the factors that produce body heat, or interference of the
factors that remove body heat may result in heatstroke.
hi general, predisposing environmental factors of
heatstroke are Wgh temperature, (the beat itself) high
humidity, (the air around the animal is already saturated
with water vapor and evaporation from the body surface
is minimal) and inadequate ventilation (once heat is
radiated from the body surface it must be moved away or
the air around the animal will soon become as warm as
the animal itself and no more heat will be lost). Exposure
to direct rays of the sun may be a contributing factor but
not necessarily so.
All domestic animals are susceptible to heatstroke, and
the incidence is greatest during a prolonged beat wave. In
acute heatstroke the animal is usually dull and depressed
with rapid breathing. Weakness develops very rapidly
until the animal collapses after which it is usually unable
Holstein
Assn, sets
field day
AIRVILLE, Pa. - Hie Ellis
Growl farm, Airville Rl, will
host the annual York County
Holstein Association’s picnic
and field day.
Activities will begin at
10:30 am. on Tuesday, July
26, with a dairy judging
contest for both adults and
children. Lunch is a chicken
barbecue by county agent
John Smith. Mr. Gerald
Bodman, agriculture
engineer from Penn State
will head up the afternoon
program with a discussion
on manure handling
systems.
Families are asked to
bring lawn chairs for their
comfort, and to make lun
cheon reservations through
the county Extension Ser
vice.
Fertilizer
bill passed
HARRISBURG - The
Pennsylvania House of
Representatives on Tuesday
passed House Bill 1197, a new
law which treats soil con
ditioners and plant growth
substances the same as
fertilizers. All have to be
labeled for contents.
The measure was co
sponsored by Lancaster
County legislators Ken
Brandt and Noah Wenger.
It’s expected that the
Senate will act on the bill this
Fall.
B
C. M. HERR EQUIPMENT, INC.
R.D. 3 Sprecher Road Widow St., Pa.
to rise. Temperature can range from 105 degrees ib 115
degrees. Early treatment may lead to recovery, however
circumstances often make effective treatment impossible
and the mortality rate is high. Heatstroke complicated
with any other problem, (mdk fever, pneumonia, etc.)
makes the situation even less hopeful.
Hogs are particularly predisposed to heatstroke. Lung
capacity is small on a per pound basis, and most of the
popular lard type hogs are covered by a thick layer of fat
which interferes with heat loss from the body surface. In
fact, any animal which is overly fat will have more
problems staying cool than a lean one.
In horses the problem is usually caused by overexertion
(the production of additional body beat by muscular
activity) in a hot humid atmosphere, or from confinement
in a hot, poorly ventilated area after a period of work.
Inadequate water intake can also be a contributing factor.
In most cases sweating ceases and the skin becomes dry.
This is an important sign of a developing problem. If the
horse is again forced to work after the initial signs
develop, intense labored breathing, convulsions, collapse,
and, coma frequently occur.
Cattle are most susceptible to heatstroke and heat
related problems during periods of stress. Calving time
and the first couple days after calving are the most
}■
I 1 %
R.D. 4 MYERSTOWN, PA. 17067
CALL COLLECT 717-»66-570j?
Full Line Parts Dept. - Bins In Stock For Immediate Delivery
WE SELL, SERVICE AND INSTALL
vulnerable. Milk fever provides added problems as there
is an inability of the cow to adequately regulate her own
body temperature. Cattle wife chronic respiratory
problems are going to be the first adversely affected by
the heat.
Treatment for heatstroke is very simple and fun
damental. prompt reduction of body temperature is
essential. The animal should be constantly bathed or
sprayed with cool water. Abundant amounts can be used
on the floor surrounding the affected animal. In severe
cases ice packs can be used on the head in an attempt to
prevent lethal damage to the brain. This should be con
tinued until the temperature drops to 103-104 degrees. The
[Continued on Page 22]
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